Bench Mill choices

O

Oldseabee

H-M Supporter - Gold Member
H-M Supporter Gold Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2022
Messages
355
As several of you have been very helpful and patient with my questions I have now come to some realization that you really do get what you pay for quality wise.
I have been looking at the PM 25 mill and the Weiss 25 mill. I thought both were the same, not so. The PM25 has a wider base so more stable, head support column attachment is different to. Then I have been watching a U tube video on the Weiss 25. the man that made the video seems to be a very talented builder-machinist. so if you go to YouTube and type in Weiss 25 mill and scroll through them you get an eye opening. His video is a year old. I think 6 sets on his work. Custom table and mill modification. But the point I picked up on is that His brand new mill was way out of wack, forget scrapping the ways. He used a tool post grinder as a surface grinder to take of up to .05 in some areas . Has anyone else had fit issues like this with the Weiss 25 or was his built late on a Friday? Makes me wonder. If I'm going to plunk down $2,500 for a new machine I would hope that it had been through some kind of QC inspection in house before being crated up to ship. Or, am I expecting too much? From all the reading I have been doing his machine issues seem off base as I have not seen anything else like this. I know PM25 parts were out of stock at times but they get them and take care of their customers.
 
I don't own either of those mills, though after 8 years here on HM, I have heard many good things about the PM brand and its owner Matt. If I were to buy new, I'd probably go with PM. That being said, it appears any Chinese made machine is subject to random quality issues. If you can afford it get a Taiwanese made machine, they have a much better quality standard.
 
There always seems to be outliers in anything. This is compounded by trying to figure if it’s something wrong or a crazy user. I don’t hardly ever buy new because there used to be close to new around for a drastically reduced price. This has been somewhat turned on it’s head recently as there has been a jump in used prices try to stay close to the new prices. In buying new for me who is going to stand behind the machine is a huge factor.
 
I would never put down a few grand for something made in the Far East without a company behind me for support- it's just too much of
a gamble. Stuff leaves those factories that should be melted down and not shipped
-M
 
You can be sure Matt, of PM, will stand behind his offerings. Yes, they are made in China, Yes, he does supervise their specifications.
 
If it's a choice between a G0704 Clone (Weiss 25) and a PM-25, then go PM every time. Even if the basic machine is much the same, size-wise as the clones, the PM build standard is really superior. My Cormak, is another G0704 clone similar to Weiss, but with variable speed, X-drive and some other goodies added. It is just fine for the price I got it for, and OK for my skill level and space, and I don't regret buying it, but I would trade it for the PM if I could.

That all said, if I were starting out now, I would hang in there for a PM-25, or a PM30 perhaps, but qualified by saying "if I were in North America".
I don't think there is a reasonable route for UK folk to acquire PM anything without a huge import cost. Basically purchase from dealer in USA, to import to to West coast, transport across to East coast, ship to UK, transport to deliver point, in addition to import taxes. It is just not going to happen!

Precision Matthews do have (Taiwan) QC standards, and many in this forum can attest that PM do give support if anything breaks, or things go wrong in any way.
 
Last edited:
Well I settled my choice earlier today. I purchased the Clausing 8530
Nice machine, I will pick it up this Friday
The seller said best way to transport is take off the base. Lay a couple of old tire in truck bed and lay the machine down on them. Then tie it down
Makes sense as that's how he said he moved it. May be the best $1,000 I ever spent. I spoke with the Clausing parts department this morning and to my amazement they have most all of the parts except for the castings. He just needs my serial number.
I'll take pictures and post them.
Mike
 
You did well, those typically go for more here in Cali
Nice little mills and very sought after by the hobby crowd
 
Oldseabee said:
Well I settled my choice earlier today. I purchased the Clausing 8530
Nice machine, I will pick it up this Friday
The seller said best way to transport is take off the base. Lay a couple of old tire in truck bed and lay the machine down on them. Then tie it down
Makes sense as that's how he said he moved it. May be the best $1,000 I ever spent. I spoke with the Clausing parts department this morning and to my amazement they have most all of the parts except for the castings. He just needs my serial number.
I'll take pictures and post them.
Mike
Click to expand...

If you got an 8530 that isn't a project for $1000 then you got a great price, the 8530 is a little more desirable than the 8520 and both usually seem to sell for $2000-2500.

It is fairly simple to remove the head leaving the mill in three sections, the base, column / knee, and head. You can further separate the head into 3 parts, and remove the table if you need to move it without an engine hoist or other mechanical help. All together the mill weighs 600-700bs.

This is how I got mine home. Two of us loaded it in my truck, and I only needed the engine hoist to unload the column / knee, everything else was light enough for me to hand carry.

I wouldn't feel too comfortable laying it down with the head attached, seems like a good way to break off a handle or other small bits. I brought mine home off the base, the column tied into the bed of the truck upright, with the head removed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top